Flip-up arrangement for a mower deck

ABSTRACT

A mower deck is selectively coupled to the front of a propelling vehicle. The deck includes a mowing height adjustment assembly to permit the user to vary the cutting height of the mower deck. The deck is movable about a lift shaft from a generally horizontal use position to an upright storage/servicing position while the deck is coupled with the vehicle. A mowing height adjustment lever of the mowing height adjustment assembly not only provides the user with a way to adjust the cutting height but also cooperates with the remainder of the mowing height adjustment assembly to prevent movement of the deck from the use position to the storage/servicing position. Movement of the mowing height adjustment lever from an upright use position to a collapsed position permits the deck to be moved from the use position to the upright storage/servicing position. A latch plate and a catch cooperate to automatically lock the deck in the storage/servicing position when the deck is rotated thereto.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to a flip-up mower deck with anarrangement for positioning the mower deck between a use position and astorage/servicing position. More particularly, this invention relates toa mower deck having an improved construction which significantly reducesthe number of steps required to switch the deck from the use position tothe storage/servicing position.

[0004] Riding mowing vehicles for cutting grass or vegetation havebecome fairly commonplace in today's society. The vehicles have beendesigned to solve various problems and perform various tasks. One typeof mowing vehicle that has become fairly common are those which havemowing decks attached to the front of the vehicle. By placing the mowerdeck forward of the forward most wheels of the vehicle, the operator ofthe vehicle can often get the deck closer to objects, such as trees,while mowing than if the deck was mounted behind the vehicle's frontwheels. Additionally, by mounting the deck forward of the vehicle'sfront wheels, the amount of grass left uncut when a user turns aroundduring mowing is often significantly reduced if not eliminated.

[0005] When a mower deck is mounted to the front of a vehicle, it isoften desirable for the operator to be able to quickly and easily coupleand uncouple the deck from the front of the vehicle. For example, theoperator may wish to perform a task other than mowing and therefore needto place a different implement on the front of the vehicle, such as asnow blower. One extremely advantageous hitching arrangement isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,886 to Esau et al., which is hereinincorporated by reference. This patent discloses a hitching arrangementbetween a mower deck and a propelling vehicle. This hitching arrangementreadily permits an operator of the vehicle to quickly couple or uncouplethe mower deck from the propelling vehicle. This patent discloses ahitching arrangement between a mower deck and propelling vehicle thatincludes a lift shaft rotatably supported by and extending transverselyacross the deck. It further discloses at least one hitch arm secured onone end to the lift shaft and having a hook with a downwardly facingopening on its other end for engagement with a generally horizontallydisposed attaching member on the propelling vehicle. The deck includes acutting height adjustment mechanism to permit the operator to vary thecutting height of the mower deck. The cutting height adjustmentmechanism is also operably coupled to the lift shaft to permit theoperator to rotate the lift shaft and thereby couple or uncouple thedeck with the mowing vehicle by moving the hooks out of engagement withthe horizontal attaching member.

[0006] While the hitching arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,528,886 is highly advantageous, one of the drawbacks of the particulararrangement was its inability to provide the operator with ready andimmediate access to the underneath side of the deck while the deck iscoupled with the mowing vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,503 to Esaw et al.,however, disclosed a flip-up arrangement for a mower deck that overcamethis narrow drawback, and is hereby incorporated herein by reference.This flip-up arrangement included a unique mechanism in the hitch armsthat permitted the deck to be flipped up to a generally verticalposition while still attached to the vehicle, thereby permitting readyaccess to the underneath of the mower deck. This not only allowed theoperator to clean the underneath of the deck and have access to theblades to perform maintenance thereon, but provided a quick andpractical way to reduce the overall length of the mowing vehicle forstorage purposes.

[0007] While successful in overcoming some disadvantages of prior deckarrangements, the mower deck of U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,503 does have somedrawbacks. In particular, the disclosed mower deck requires that a deckstand be coupled with a rear of the deck for mounting and dismountingthe deck from the vehicle as well as to flip the deck up to itsstorage/servicing position. Other drawbacks include having to adjust thelift lever to install the deck stand and then again having to adjust thelift lever before the deck can be flipped up, having to disconnect thePTO drive shaft from the mower deck before the deck can be flipped up,and having to unlock the deck by moving levers prior to flipping thedeck up.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need for a flip-up deck arrangement whichdoes not require the attachment of items to the deck prior to being ableto flip the deck up to the storage/servicing position. There is also aneed for a flip-up deck arrangement that permits movement of the deckfrom a use position to a storage/service position without requiringuncoupling the deck from the power takeoff of the mowing vehicle. Thereis also a need for a flip-up deck arrangement which does not require theoperator to perform numerous steps before being able to move the deckfrom its use position to its storage/servicing position. The presentinvention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and fills these andother needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In order to overcome the above stated problems and limitations,and to achieve the noted advantages, there is provided a flip-up deckarrangement for a mower that permits the deck to be moved from a useposition to a storage/servicing position in a minimal number of stepsperformed by the vehicle operator. The deck includes a mowing heightadjustment lever to permit the operator to vary the cutting height ofthe mower. The mowing height adjustment lever cooperates with a firstlatching member when the mower height adjustment lever is in an uprightposition to prevent movement of the deck from the use position to thestorage/servicing position. When the mowing height adjustment lever ismoved to a collapsed position, it is moved out of cooperation with thefirst latching member and thereby permits movement of the deck from theuse position to the storage/servicing position.

[0010] The deck further includes a locking mechanism that automaticallylocks the deck in the storage/servicing position when the deck is movedfrom the use position to the storage/servicing position. The deck thenstays in the storage/servicing position until the user deactivates thelocking mechanism to thereby permit the deck to be returned to the useposition.

[0011] Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of theinvention will be set forth in part in the description which follows,and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art uponexamination of the following, or may be learned by practice of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The features of the invention noted above are explained in moredetail with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attacheddrawing figures, in which like reference numerals denote like elements,in which FIGS. 1-12 illustrate an embodiment of the present inventionand in which:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a mower having a deck of thepresent invention ready to be coupled with a propelling vehicle;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a mower with a deck of thepresent invention in a use position;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of a mower with a deck of thepresent invention in a use position;

[0016]FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a mower with a deck of thepresent invention in a use position;

[0017]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the mower illustrated in FIG. 2further illustrating a mower height adjustment lever movable from anupright position to a collapsed positioned illustrated in dash lines;

[0018]FIG. 6 is a view of the mower of FIG. 5 from the opposite side andillustrating the mower height adjustment lever in the collapsedposition.

[0019]FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a mower with the deck of thepresent invention in a storage/servicing position;

[0020]FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a mower with the deck of thepresent invention in a storage/servicing position;

[0021]FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a mower with adeck of the present invention in the storage/servicing positionillustrated from an opposite side of that depicted in FIG. 7;

[0022]FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the area 10 in FIG. 3 furtherillustrating primary and secondary latch members of the deck;

[0023]FIG. 11 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a mowing heightadjustment mechanism of the present invention including a mowing heightadjustment lever and further illustrating its cooperation with first andsecond latching members to prevent movement of the deck from the useposition to the storage/servicing position;

[0024]FIG. 12 is a view of the portion of the deck illustrated in FIG.11 from an opposite side;

[0025]FIG. 13 is the view of FIG. 12 illustrating the secondary latch inan unlatched position;

[0026]FIG. 14 is the view of FIG. 13 illustrating the mower heightadjustment lever in a collapsed position;

[0027]FIG. 15 is the view of FIG. 14 illustrating the relationshipbetween the first latching member and an upper surface of the deck asthe deck is moved from the use position to the storage/servicingposition;

[0028]FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the area 16 in FIG. 3 furtherillustrating an automatic latching assembly for retaining the deck inthe storage/servicing position;

[0029]FIG. 17 is a fragmentary view of the deck of FIG. 9 illustrating aheight adjustment linkage arm in a retracted position with a portion ofthe arm cut away;

[0030]FIG. 18 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the mowingheight adjustment mechanism of FIG. 11 with portions of the deck omittedfor clarity; and

[0031]FIG. 19 is a fragmentary view of the deck of FIG. 4 with portionsthereof omitted for clarity and illustrating one of the parallel linkageassemblies in an exploded view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] Referring now to the drawings in more detail and initially toFIG. 1, numeral 10 generally designates a mower deck having a flip-uparrangement, the mower deck constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. The mower deck 10 is selectively coupled to a front 12 of apropelling vehicle 14, such as a lawn tractor. The vehicle 14 includes amotor 16 which, as with most mowers with front mount decks, drives thefront wheels 18 of the vehicle. The illustrated vehicle 14 includes arear caster wheel 20 and is steered by control arms 22. Alternatively,the vehicle could have rear wheels which are controlled by a steeringwheel. A power take off 24 (best seen in FIG. 4) is provided at thefront 12 of the vehicle 14 to provide power to an attachment, in thiscase the mower deck 10, coupled to the front of the vehicle 14.

[0033] The deck includes a housing 26 that contains cutting blades 28for cutting grass or vegetation. Caster wheels 30 are positioned at afront 32 of the deck 10 and support the front 32 of the deck 10 duringoperation of the mower 34 as they ride along the ground. The combinationof the vehicle 14 and the mower deck 10 are often collectively referredto herein as a mower 34 for simplicity. The caster wheels have a fork 35with a generally vertical shaft 37. The caster wheels 30 also cooperatewith a mower height adjustment assembly 36 to permit the operator toadjust the cutting height of the mower 34 (i.e., the distance betweenthe cutting blades 28 and the ground).

[0034] The mower height adjustment assembly 36 includes two parallellinkage assemblies 38 which are coupled on one end to a caster wheel 30and on the other end to a front wheel height adjustment linkage arm 40.As is readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, eachparallel linkage 38 has four pivot points, namely, upper and lower rearpivot points 41, 42, respectively, and upper and lower front pivotpoints 43, 44, respectively. The front 32 of the deck 10 has two towers45, each for supporting a caster wheel 30. As best illustrated in FIG.19, each tower 45 has an upper horizontal passage 48 and a lowerhorizontal passage 49. A wheel member 51 similarly has an upperhorizontal passage 53 and a lower horizontal passage 55. The wheelmember 51 also has a vertical passage 57 for rotatably receiving theshaft 37 of the caster wheel 30. The wheel member 51 is pivotablycoupled with the tower 45 by a lower link bar 59 and an upper linkmember 61. A bolt 63 passes through the lower passage 49 in the towerand through the link bar 59 to create the lower rear pivot point 42while another bolt 63 passes through the upper passage 47 in the towerand through the link member 61 to create the upper rear pivot point 41.Similarly, another bolt 63 passes through the lower passage 55 in thewheel member 51 and through the link member 61 to create the upper frontpivot point 43. The link member 61 also includes a tongue 65 whichextends downwardly and rearwardly from the upper rear pivot point 41.The height adjustment linkage arm 40 is pivotally coupled to the tongue65 of the link member 61. As discussed in greater detail below thisarrangement (i.e., the parallel linkage assemblies 38 permit the user toraise and lower the front caster wheels 30 to adjust the cutting heightof the deck while maintaining the shaft 37 in a generally verticalposition.

[0035] A covering 46 is positioned on top of the housing 26 and coversthe drive assembly (not shown) which connects the various blades 28. Thedrive assembly generally takes the form of a plurality of pulleysinterconnected by belts. Adjacent a rear 48 of the deck 10 is a gear box50 (best illustrated in FIG. 8). The gear box 50 is connected to a driveshaft 52 via a U-joint 54. A distal end 56 of the drive shaft 50 iscoupled with the power take off 24. The drive shaft 52 is preferablynon-round and, as illustrated, can be square in cross-section. A secondU-joint 58 is preferably coupled to the power take off 24 and has atubular drive shaft 60 extending outwardly therefrom. The distal end 56of the drive shaft 52 is slidably received in the tubular drive shaft 60in telescoping fashion. This arrangement permits the drive shaft 52 toslide back and forth in the tubular drive shaft 60 as the deck 10 ismoved from the use position to the storage/servicing position, therebypermitting the blade drive assembly to remain mechanically coupled withthe vehicle 14 when the deck 10 is in the use position, thestorage/servicing position and any position therebetween. Thisarrangement eliminates the necessity of requiring the use disconnect thedrive shaft of the mower deck from the vehicle prior to flipping thedeck to the storage/servicing position, as was required in the priordeck disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,503.

[0036] The mower height adjustment assembly 36 also includes a liftshaft 62 that is coupled to and extends transversely across the rear 48of the deck 10. The lift shaft 62 is pivotally coupled with the deck 10by clevis like U-shaped receiving members 64 at opposite ends of thelift shaft 62. With reference to FIG. 1, the upper portions of receivingmembers 64 are shown. Each receiving member 60 curves downwardly fromits upper portion to the lower portion to form a U-shaped receivingaperture (best illustrated in FIG. 19). The open end of each U-shapedaperture faces toward the vehicle 14. The lift shaft 62 is held in theU-shaped apertures of receiving members 64 by bolts 67.

[0037] The lift shaft 62, unlike that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,347,503, includes an offset section 66 intermediate the ends of thelift shaft 62. The offset section permits the relative height of thegear box 50 to be raised in the mower deck 10 by going around theU-joint 54 while still permitting the lift shaft 62 to function as asingle unitary piece.

[0038] A pair of hitch arms 68 are connected to and extend outwardlyfrom the lift shaft 62 in a direction rearwardly of the deck 10. At adistal end 70 of each hitch arm 68, a hook member 72 is provided tofacilitate coupling the mower deck 10 with the vehicle 14. The hookmember 72 include retractable latch pin mechanisms 74 to permit a userto readily couple and uncouple the hook member 72 in the manner morefully described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,886.

[0039] A pair of actuating members 78 are coupled at their proximal ends80 to the lift shaft 62 on opposite sides of the offset section 66. Eachactuating member 78 includes a pair of upstanding support plates 82spaced apart from one another in a generally parallel relationship. Thesupport plates 82 of an actuating member 78 are connected to the liftshaft 62 in a spaced apart relationship in such a manner that they areon opposite sides of one of the U-shaped receiving members 64 when thelift shaft 62 is coupled to the deck 10. At a distal end 84 of theactuating member 78, the support plates 82 have a bore 86 therethroughfor receiving a bolt 88.

[0040] As best illustrated in FIG. 17, the front wheel height adjustmentlinkage arm 40 includes a sleeve 90 that slidably receives a rod 92 intelescoping fashion. The sleeve 90 is generally tubular in nature andhas a proximal end 94 and a distal end 96. A transverse bore 98 ispositioned through the sleeve adjacent the proximal end for receivingthe bolt 88 of one of the actuating members 78. A reduced diameterportion at the distal end 96 of the sleeve 90 forms an annular ledge 100that functions as a stop to retain the rod 92 in the sleeve 90.

[0041] The rod 92 has a proximal end 102 and a distal end 104. Thedistal end 104 has an enlarged diameter section 106 that cooperates withthe annular ledge 100 of the sleeve 90 to maintain the rod 92 in thesleeve 90 during use. The proximal end 102 of the rod 92 is coupled withthe upper link member 61 of the parallel linkage 38 to facilitateadjustment of the mowing height. In the illustrated embodiment, the rod92 is coupled with the upper link member 61 by way of a connector 108.The connector has a tube portion 110 with a tongue portion 112 extendingoutwardly therefrom. The tongue portion 112 has a bore 114 therethroughand a bolt 116 passes through the bore 114 to mechanically couple theconnector 108 to the upper link member 61. The tube portion 110 ofconnector 108 is slidably received on the proximal end 102 of the rod 92and is positioned intermediate a nut 118 and a spacer nut 120. Theproximal end 94 of the rod 92 is externally threaded to receive the nuts118, 120. This arrangement permits the user to adjust the overall lengthof the linkage arm 40 by moving the connector 108 up and down the rod92.

[0042] The mower height adjustment assembly 36 further includes a mowingheight control plate 122 and a mowing height adjustment lever 124. Theheight control plate 122 is mounted on an upper surface 126 of thehousing 26 adjacent a discharge side 128 of the deck 10. The heightcontrol plate 122 is semi-circular in nature and is mounted in anupstanding position which resembles a fin. An upper edge 130 of theheight control plate 122 includes a plurality of notches 132 therein tocooperate with the height adjustment lever 124 to maintain the same in adesired location as described in greater detail below. The upper edge130 generally presents an arcuate surface.

[0043] The height adjustment lever preferably includes first and secondarms 134, 136 respectively, as best illustrated in FIG. 18. The firstarm 134 is the longer of the two arms 134, 136 and has a proximal end138 and a distal end 140. The first arm 134 is pivotally coupled to thedeck 10 by receiving a bolt 142 through an aperture 144 located adjacentits proximal end 138. The distal end 140 of the first arm 134 is bent toform a handle portion 146. The second arm 136 is also pivotally coupledto the deck 10 by receiving the bolt 142 through an aperture 148 in aproximal end 150 of the second arm 136.

[0044] As best illustrated in FIG. 18, an upper portion of the secondarm is bent inwardly such that an abutting portion 152 of the second arm136 abuts the first arm 134. The second arm 136 is connected to thefirst arm 134 preferably by welding the abutting portion 152 to thefirst arm 134. A distal end 154 of the second arm 136 is bent outwardlyand is generally perpendicular to the first arm 134. A bore 156 throughthe second arm 136 adjacent the distal end 154 serves as a guide for arod 158.

[0045] The rod 158 has a lowermost first section 160 that is generallyhorizontal and is perpendicular to the first and second arms 134, 136.The first section 160 passes through an elongate opening 162 in thesecond arm 136 and an elongate opening 164 in the first arm 134. Asecond section 166 of the rod 158 is generally perpendicular to thefirst section 160 and is generally parallel to the first arm 134. Thesecond section 166 is slidably received in the bore 156 in the secondarm 136 and the bore 156 limits the vertical movement. The secondsection 166 transitions to a third section 168 that is angled towardsthe first arm 134 and the third section transitions to a fourth section170 that is adjacent and generally parallel to the first arm 134. Thefourth section 170 passes through an opening 172 in an angled section174 of the handle portion 146 of the first arm 134. The fourth section170 transitions into a fifth section 176 that is generally perpendicularto the fourth section 170. The second section 166 includes a bore 178therein for receiving an end of a spring 180. The spring 180 is receivedon the second section 166 of the rod 158 intermediate the bore 178 and alower surface 182 of the second arm 136 adjacent its distal end 154. Thespring works to bias the rod 158 to a lowermost or engaged position, asillustrated in FIG. 18.

[0046] A pivot tube 184 is connected to the first arm 134 opposite thesecond arm 136 and adjacent the aperture 144. The pivot tube 134 iscoaxial with the aperture 144 and receives the bolt 142. A stub plate186 is connected to the pivot tube 184 opposite the first arm 134. Thestub plate is generally parallel to the first arm 134 and includes anaperture 188 for receiving the bolt 142.

[0047] An abutment rod 190 is positioned between the first arm 134 andthe stub plate 186 and is generally parallel to the pivot tube 184. Theabutment rod 190, as illustrated, is cylindrical in nature with an outerdiameter approximately equal to an outer diameter of the pivot tube 184.

[0048] The mowing height adjustment assembly 30 also includes a primarylatch member 192, as best illustrated in FIGS. 10-15. The primary latchmember 192 has a latch plate 194 and an adjustment plate 196. The latchplate 194 has a proximal end 198 and a distal end 200. The latch plate194 includes an elongate opening 202 which receives the bolt 88 topivotally couple the latch plate 194 between the support plates 82 ofthe actuating member 78 on the discharge side 128 of the mower deck 10.The latch plate 194 further includes two internally threaded bolt holes204 for receiving bolts 206 to couple the adjustment plate 196 to thelatch plate 194. The latch plate 194 has a cutout 208 which creates aledge 210. The cutout 208 receives a flange of the adjustment plate 196.An adjustment bolt 214 passes through an aperture 216 in the flange 212and cooperates with the ledge 210 to permit the user to adjust therelationship between the adjustment plate 196 and the latch plate 194.The adjustment plate also has two elongate openings 218 which align withthe bolt holes 204.

[0049] A pivot tube 220 is provided in the adjustment plate 196 tocreate an opening therethrough. The pivot tube receives the bolt 88 torotatably couple the adjustment plate 196 with the discharge side 128actuating member 78. A portion of the pivot tube 220 is received in theelongate opening 202 of the latch plate 194. It would be readilyunderstood to one of ordinary skill in the art that, as the usertightens the adjustment bolt 214, the distal end 200 of the latch plate194 is moved away from the actuating member 82 as the pivot tube 220slides along the elongate opening 202. When the latch plate 194 is inthe desired location, the bolts 218 can be tightened to prevent movementbetween the latch plate 194 and the adjustment plate 196.

[0050] The latch plate 194 further includes a notch 222 in a bottom edge224 of the latch plate 194. The notch 222 is generally U-shaped innature and is sized to receive the abutment rod 190 of the mowing heightadjustment lever 124, as discussed in greater detail below.

[0051] A secondary latch member 226 is rotatably coupled to the latchplate 194 of the primary latch member 192 via a bolt 228. The bolt 228passes through an elongate opening 230 in the secondary latch member 226and an aperture 232 in the primary latch member 194. An opening 234 isprovided in the latch plate 194. The opening 234 has an arcuate section236 and a straight section 238. A bolt 240 passes through an aperture242 in the secondary latch member and is slidably received in theopening 234 in the primary latch member 192. The arcuate section 236 ofthe opening 234 is formed by a radius from the center of the aperture232 in the latch plate 194. Accordingly, as the secondary latch member226 is moved from a latched position illustrated in FIG. 12 to anunlatched position illustrated in FIG. 13, the secondary latch member226 pivots on the bolt 228 and the bolt 240 travels along the arcuatesection 236 of the opening 234 in the latch plate 194 until the bolt 240reaches the straight section 238 of the opening 234. When the bolt 240reaches the straight section 238, the elongate opening 230 in thesecondary latch member 226 is generally parallel to the straight section238. The motion of the secondary latch member 226 then shifts from apivoting motion, where the secondary latch member 226 is rotating aboutthe bolt 228, to a sliding motion as the bolt 240 slides down thestraight section 238 and the secondary latch member 226 moves towardsthe housing 26 to the open position illustrated in FIG. 13. As the bolt240 is sliding down the straight section 238, the elongate opening 230in the secondary latch member 226 slides down the bolt 228. Thisarrangement permits the secondary latch member 226 to be stored in theopen position illustrated in FIG. 13. When the user desires to move thesecondary latch from the open position of FIG. 13 to the latchedposition of FIG. 12, the user must first lift the secondary latch member226 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 13 until the bolt240 enters the arcuate section 236 of the opening. The user can thenpull the secondary latch member 226 forward until it is in the latchedposition.

[0052] To facilitate moving the secondary latch member 226, an opening244 is provided in the secondary latch member 226 to create a handleportion 246. The secondary latch member 226 also includes a notch 248 inan edge 250 of the secondary latch member 226. The notch 248 in thesecondary latch member 226 is similar to the notch 222 in the primarylatch member 192 and will be discussed in greater detail below.

[0053] A spring 252 is provided to bias the primary latch member 192downwardly, as illustrated in FIGS. 10-15, so that the distal end 200 ofthe primary latch member 192 abuts the upper surface 126 of the housing26. The spring 252 has a first end 254 which is wrapped around one ofthe support plates 82, a second end 256 which is wrapped around theprimary latch member 192 in the cutout 208, and a coil section 258intermediate the ends 254, 256. The pivot tube 220 of the adjustmentplate 196 is received in the coil section 258 of the spring 252.

[0054] The deck 10 has a plurality of upstanding rails 260 mounted tothe upper surface 126 of the housing 26. The rails 260 include aplurality of apertures 262 therein to permit the coupling of variouscomponents of the mower height adjustment assembly 36 to the mower deck10 by way of bolts 264. For example, the mowing height control plate 122is bolted to one of the rails 260 and the bolt 142 passes through two ofthe rails 260 to pivotally couple the mowing height adjustment lever 124to the deck 10. In the embodiment illustrated, one of the rails 260terminates at a rearward end at one of the U-shaped receiving members64.

[0055] The deck 10 further includes a latch plate 266 (best illustratedin FIGS. 6, 9, 16 and 17) for automatically securing the deck 10 in thestorage/servicing position when the deck 10 is moved from the useposition to the storage/servicing position. The latch plate 266 has andaperture 268 therethrough adjacent a proximal end 270. The latch plate266 is coupled to a rail 260 on the upper surface 126 of the housing 26opposite the discharge side 128 via a bolt 272 through the aperture 268.A spring 274 (best illustrated in FIG. 16) is positioned on the bolt 272intermediate the head of the bolt 272 and the latch plate 266 to biasthe latch plate toward the discharge side 128 of the deck 10.

[0056] The latch plate 266 further includes an elongate opening 276therethrough. The latch plate 266 also has a bend 278 therein to providean angled portion 280 adjacent a distal end 282. The angled portion 280bends away from the discharge side 128 of the deck 10. The bolt 88 inthe actuating member 78 opposite the discharge side 128 includes anextension 284. The extension 284 cooperates with the elongate opening276 in the latch plate 266 to retain the deck 10 in thestorage/servicing position, as illustrated in FIG. 9 and as discussed ingreater detail below.

[0057] Turning now to FIG. 1, at this point, the deck 10 is sitting onthe ground and is maneuverable by virtue of the fact it is resting onthe caster wheels 30 and anti-scalp wheels 286 at the rear 48 at thedeck 10. The mowing height adjustment lever 124 is in an uprightposition. The user first rolls the deck 10 toward the vehicle 14 andcouples the deck 10 to the vehicle 14 by the hook members 72. The driveshaft 52 is slidably received in the tubular drive shaft 60.

[0058]FIGS. 2-4 illustrate the deck 10 coupled to the propelling vehicle14 with the deck 10 in a use position and the mowing height adjustmentlever 124 in an upright position. To provide a better view of theconnection between the deck 10 and the vehicle 14, a footrest 288 of thevehicle 14 has been illustrated in a raised and generally verticalposition. During use of the mower 34, the footrest 288 would be in agenerally horizontal orientation.

[0059] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cutting height of the mower deck 10is in a set position as the first section 160 of the rod 158 of themower height adjustment assembly 36 is received in a notch 132 in themowing height control plate 122. To change the cutting height, the userwould, while seated in a seat 290 of the vehicle 14, grasp the handleportion 146 of the first arm 134 of the mowing height adjustment lever124 with their right hand. The palm of their hand would rest on top ofthe handle portion 146 while the user's fingers would wrap around thefifth section 176 of the rod 158. The user would then close their hand,thereby moving the fifth section 176 of the rod 158 towards the handleportion 146 which would in turn raised the rod 58 and, more importantly,lift the first section 160 out of the notch 132 in the mowing heightcontrol plate 122.

[0060] Once the rod 158 is disengaged from the notch 132 of the controlplate 122, the user could raise the cutting height by pulling the mowingheight adjustment lever 124 towards them or lower the cutting height bypushing the mowing height adjustment lever 124 away from them (i.e.,towards the front 32 of the mower deck 10). In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 2, the cutting height can be lowered one setting, asone notch 132 is forward of the rod 158, and can be raised up to foursettings, as four notches 132 are to the rear of the illustratedposition of the rod 158. The notches 132 are preferably spaced apart ina predetermined manner that movement of the rod 58 from one notch to 132the next adjoining notch 132 changes the cutting height by a half inchincrement. When the deck is raised or lowered to the desired cuttingheight, the user releases their grip on the fifth section 176 of the rod158 and the spring 180 lowers the rod 158 and in turn the first section160 down into the corresponding notch 132.

[0061] When the mower height adjustment lever 124 is in the uprightposition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the abutment rod 190 is received inthe notch 222 in the latch plate 194 of the primary latch member 192, asillustrated in FIG. 13. When the rod 158 is not received in a notch 132of the mowing height control plate 122 and the user pulls the mowingheight adjustment lever 124 towards the vehicle 14, the mower heightadjustment lever 124 pivots on the bolt 142 and the abutment rod 190 ismoved towards the rear 48 of the deck 10. Because the abutment rod 190is received in the notch 222 of the latch plate 194, the rearwardmovement of the abutment rod 190 is transferred through the primarylatch member 192 to the actuating member 78. This movement causes thedistal end 84 of the actuating member 78 on the discharge side 128 ofthe mower to also move towards the vehicle 14. As the actuating member78 is coupled with the lift shaft 62 at its proximal end 80, therearward movement of the distal end 84 of the actuating member 78 causesthe lift shaft 62 to rotate in the U-shaped receiving member 64.

[0062] When the deck 10 is in the use position illustrated in FIG. 2,the control arms 40 are in their fully extended position with theenlarged diameter section 106 of the rod 92 abutting the annular ledge100 of the sleeve 90. Accordingly, as the distal end 84 of the actuatingmember 78 on the discharge side 128 of the deck 10 is moved rearwardly,the sleeve 90 of the control arm 40 is moved towards the vehicle 14 byvirtue of the fact that the proximal end 94 of the sleeve 90 is coupledwith the bolt 88 in the actuating member 78. The sleeve 90 in turn pullsthe rod 92 rearwardly which in turn pulls on the tongue 65 to activatethe parallel linkage 38. As the control arm 40 pulls the tongue 65rearwardly, the upper link member 61 rotates about the upper rear pivotpoint 41, thereby moving the front of the upper link member 61, and inturn the castor wheel 30, downwardly. The lower link bar 59 remainsparallel to the upper link member 61 and cooperate therewith to maintainthe shaft 37 of the castor wheel 30 in a vertical orientation at alltimes. Accordingly, as the mowing height adjustment lever is pulledrearwardly, the parallel linkage 38 works to lower the front casterwheel 30.

[0063] The actuating member 78 opposite the discharge side 128 is alsosimultaneously rotating rearwardly as it is connected to the rotatinglift shaft 62. This actuating member 78 pulls on its control arm 40 toactuate the other parallel linkage 38 to lower the other caster wheel 30by the same amount. Accordingly, by pulling back on the mowing heightadjustment lever 124, the primary latch member 192 causes both actuatingmembers 78 to rotate rearwardly thereby forcing the control arms 40 toactuate the parallel linkages 38 to lower the front caster wheels 30. Tolower the cutting height, the user simply moves the mowing heightadjustment lever 124 forward until the desired cutting height isachieved. The weight of the deck 10 on the front caster wheels 30continually tries to pull the mower height adjustment lever 124 forward.This force is counteracted by receiving the rod 158 and one of thenotches 132 in the mowing height control plate 122.

[0064] To move the deck 10 from the use position illustrated in FIGS.2-4 to the storage/servicing position illustrated in FIGS. 7-9, the userfirst moves the mowing height adjustment lever 124 from the uprightposition to a collapsed position, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. To dothis, the user pulls up on the fifth section 176 of the rod 158 toremove the rod from its engagement with one of the notches 132 in themowing height control plate 122. The user then pushes the handle portion146 of the mowing height adjustment lever 124 away from the vehicle 14.Once the lever 124 is moved sufficiently forward that the first section160 of the rod 158 clears the forwardmost upper notch 132, whichrepresents the lowest mowing height setting, the user may release therod 158. The first section 160 of the rod 158 then rides along the upperedge 130 of the mowing height control plate 122 until the heightadjustment lever 124 is in the collapsed position, wherein the spring180 will force the first section 160 of the rod 158 into the lowermostand forwardmost notch 132 in the mowing height control plate 122 toretain the mowing height adjustment lever in the collapsed position.

[0065] Turning now to FIGS. 10-14, movement of the mowing heightadjustment lever 124 from the upright to the collapsed position isillustrated. FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate the mowing height control arm124 in the upright position with both the primary and secondary latchmembers 192, 226 engaged with the abutment rod 190 of the mowing heightadjustment lever 124. The primary latch member 192 is all that isnecessary to be engaged with the abutment rod 190 during operation ofthe mower 34. With just the primary latch member 192 engaged, the deck10 is free to float during mowing and move up and down withcorresponding changes in the terrain being mowed. The abutment rod 190and the primary latch member 192 still cooperate to control the cuttingheight and to prevent movement of the deck from the use position all theway to the storage/servicing position, provided the mowing heightadjustment lever 124 remains in an upright position by the rod 158 beingengaged with the mowing height control plate 122.

[0066] The secondary latch member 226 is provided to lock the abutmentrod 190 into engagement with the primary latch member 192. In thisarrangement, the deck can be made not to float and, in fact, by movingthe lever 124 forward, the user can force the deck down to a lowerposition. Additionally, having the secondary latch member 226 in thelatched position, illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 is necessary ifhydraulics are used to raise and lower the deck 10.

[0067] With the mower height adjustment assembly 36 arranged asillustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, to move the deck 10 from the useposition to the storage/servicing position, the user first disengagesthe secondary latch member 226 by pulling up on the handle portion 246of the secondary latch member 226 to rotate it in the direction of thearrow in FIG. 12 from the latched position in FIG. 12 to the unlatchedposition illustrated in FIG. 13. Again, if the user does not usehydraulics to raise and lower the deck and desires the deck to floatduring use, the secondary latch member 226 would normally be in theunlatched position illustrated in FIG. 13 during operation of the mower34.

[0068] With the secondary latch member 226 unlatched, as illustrated inFIG. 13, the user can disengage the rod 158 from the mowing heightcontrol plate 122 and move the mowing height adjustment lever 124 fromthe upright position illustrated in FIG. 13 to the collapsed positionillustrated in FIG. 14 by pushing the lever 124 in the direction of thearrow in FIG. 13. As the mowing height adjustment lever 124 moves fromthe upright position to the collapsed position, the abutment rod 190rotates out of receipt in the notch 222 of the primary latch member 192and therefore out of engagement with the primary latch member 192, asillustrated in FIG. 14. The deck 10 is now in a position to be movedfrom the use position to the storage/servicing position.

[0069] To move the deck from the use position to the storage/servicingposition, the user now simply grabs the front 32 of the deck 10 andlifts upwardly. The housing 26 rotates around the lift shaft 62 by wayof the U-shaped receiving member 64. The actuating members 78 which areconnected to the lift shaft 62 remain in an upright position asillustrated in FIGS. 9, 15 and 17. As the front of the deck 10 israised, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the distal end 200 of the primarylatch member 192 slides along the upper surface 126 to the housing 26and the primary latch member 192 is raised upwardly as it pivots aroundthe bolt 88 of the actuating member 78. Also, as the front of the deck10 is raised, the abutment rod 190 moves towards the notch 222 in thelatch plate 194. However, the abutment rod 190 does not enter the notch222 but instead goes slightly below the opening of the notch 222 andabuts the bottom edge 224 of the latch plate 194, as illustrated in FIG.15. Because the abutment rod 190 does not get received in the notch 222of primary latch member 192, the primary latch member 192 does notcooperate with the abutment rod 190 to prevent the front of the deck 10from being raised to the storage/servicing position and the user cancontinue to raise the deck to the storage/servicing position.

[0070] Turning now to FIG. 17, as the deck 10 approaches thestorage/servicing position by pivoting around the lift shaft 62, theangled portion 280 of the latch plate 266 comes in contact with theextension 284. As the deck 10 is continued to be pivoted to thestorage/servicing position, the angled portion 280 of the latch plate266 slides along the extension 284 and, because the spring 274 isprovided on the bolt 272 that couples the latch plate 266 to the rail260, the extension 284 deflects the latch plate 266 outwardly. When thedeck 10 reaches the storage/servicing position, the extension 284becomes aligned with the elongate opening 276 in the latch plate 260 andthe spring 274 forces the latch plate 260 to its resting position,thereby receiving the extension 284 in the elongate opening 276 toretain the deck 10 in the storage/servicing position. The user can nowlet go of the front of the deck and the deck will stay in thestorage/servicing position until the user desires to move the deck 10back to the use position.

[0071] As illustrated in FIG. 17, by virtue of the telescopingarrangement between the sleeve 90 and the rod 92 of the control arms 40,as the deck 10 is moved from the use position to the storage/servicingposition, the rod 92 slides into the sleeve 90 until it is almost fullyreceived in the sleeve 90. This arrangement permits the control arms 40to automatically shorten in length as the deck 10 is moved from the useposition to the storage/servicing position.

[0072] When the user desires to return the deck from thestorage/servicing position to the use position, the user simply pullsoutwardly on the angled portion 280 of the latch plate 266 to remove theextension 284 from receipt in the elongate opening 276 of the latchplate 266. The user can then lower the front of the deck 10 back downuntil the front caster wheels 30 rest on the ground. As the front of thedeck 10 is lowered back down, the control arms 40 automatically lengthenas the rod 92 of each control arm is gradually pulled out of its sleeve90. To get the mower 34 ready to mow, the user then simply disengagesthe rod 158 from the lowermost notch 132 in the mowing height controlplate 122 and lifts the mowing height adjustment lever 124 back up to anupright position where the rod 158 engages one of the upper notches 132.As the mowing height adjustment lever 124 is raised back up to anupright position, the abutment rod 190 is moved back up into receipt inthe notch 222 in the primary latch member 192. Preferably, the abutmentrod 190 is fully received in the notch 222 before the first section 60of the rod 158 reaches the forwardmost notch 132 in the mowing heightcontrol plate 122 in the upper grouping of notches 132 such that themowing height adjustment lever 124 causes the control arms 40 to reachtheir fully extended position, where the enlarged diameter sections 106of the rods 92 are engaged with the annular ledges 100 of the sleeves90, and in turn causes the front caster wheels to be lowered slightlybefore the mowing height adjustment lever 124 can be locked in thelowest mowing height setting.

[0073] Many variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment of thepresent invention without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. Such modifications are within the scope of the presentinvention. For example, in an alternate embodiment, the front wheelcontrol arms 40 can be replaced by cables or the like. Such anarrangement would permit the front of the deck to be raised to theupright storage position but still allow the user to adjust the heightof the mower deck by pulling on the cables by way of rotating the liftshaft 62. Other modifications would be readily apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art, but would not depart from the scope of thepresent invention.

[0074] From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is onewell adapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forthtogether with the other advantages which are obvious and which areinherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain featuresand subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without referenceto other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and iswithin the scope of the invention.

[0075] Since many possible embodiments may be made of the inventionwithout departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood thatall matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is tobe interpreted as illustrative of applications of the principles of thisinvention, and not in a limiting sense.

1. (Cancelled).
 2. A mower comprising: a vehicle having a front and arear; a mower deck for selective attachment to the front of the vehicle,wherein the deck is selectively movable between a generally horizontaluse position and a generally vertical storage/servicing position whenattached to the vehicle; and means for selectively permitting andprohibiting movement of the deck from the use position to thestorage/servicing position, said means including a mowing heightadjustment lever.
 3. The mower of claim 2, wherein movement of the deckfrom the use position to the storage/servicing position is preventedwhen the mowing height adjustment lever is in an upright position andwherein movement of the deck from the use position to thestorage/servicing position is permitted when the mowing heightadjustment lever is in a collapsed position.
 4. The mower of claim 2,wherein said means for selectively permitting and prohibiting movementof the deck from the use position to the storage/servicing positionfurther includes a first latching member.
 5. The mower of claim 4,wherein the mowing height adjustment lever is movable between an uprightuse position and a collapsed position, wherein the first latching membercooperates with the mowing height adjustment lever when the mowingheight adjustment lever is in the upright position to prevent movementof the deck from the use position to the storage/servicing position. 6.The mower of claim 5, wherein a portion of the first latching memberabuts a portion of the mowing height adjustment lever when the mowingheight adjustment lever is in the upright position, wherein movement ofthe mowing height adjustment lever from the upright position to thecollapsed position moves the mowing height adjustment lever out ofabutting contact with the first latching member and thereby permitsmovement of the deck from the use position to the storage/servicingposition.
 7. The mower of claim 6, wherein the mowing height adjustmentlever is pivotally coupled with the mower deck and includes a lever arm,a pivot point and a first abutting portion located generally radiallyoutward on the lever arm from the pivot point, wherein the firstlatching member includes a second abutting portion, and wherein thefirst abutting portion cooperates with the second abutting portion toprevent movement of the deck from the use position to thestorage/servicing position.
 8. The mower of claim 7, wherein the firstabutting portion is a cylindrical member mounted on the lever arm in atransverse orientation, wherein the second abutting portion includes anotch in the first latching member, and wherein the notch receives thecylindrical member when the mowing height adjustment lever is in theupright position to prevent movement of the deck from the use positionto the storage/servicing position.
 9. The mower of claim 8, whereinmower deck is permitted to float with respect to the terrain beingmowed, wherein the means for selectively permitting and prohibitingmovement of the deck from the use position to the storage/servicingposition further includes a second latching member and wherein thesecond latching member is selectively operable to prevent the deck fromfloating during use.
 10. The mower of claim 9, wherein the secondlatching member includes a notch therein and wherein the notch in thesecond latching receives the cylindrical member when the mowing heightadjustment lever is in the upright position to prevent the deck fromfloating during use.
 11. The mower of claim 5, wherein the firstlatching member is biased toward a first position and wherein a portionof the first latching member abuts a portion of the mowing heightadjustment lever when the mowing height adjustment lever is in theupright position and the first latching member is in the first position.12. The mower of claim 11, wherein the mower height adjustment lever ismoved out of abutting contact with the first latching member when themowing height adjustment lever is moved from the upright position to thecollapsed position and thereby permits a user to move the mower deckfrom the use position to the storage/servicing position.
 13. A mowercomprising: a vehicle having a front and a rear; a mower deck forselective attachment to the front of the vehicle, wherein the deck isselectively movable between a generally horizontal use position and agenerally vertical storage/servicing position when attached to thevehicle; and means for selectively permitting and prohibiting movementof the deck from the use position to the storage/servicing position,wherein said means permits switching between prohibiting movement of thedeck from the use position to the storage/servicing position topermitting movement of the deck from the use position to thestorage/servicing position in less than four steps.
 14. A mowercomprising: a vehicle having a front and a rear; a mower deck forselective attachment to the front of the vehicle, wherein the deck isselectively movable between a generally horizontal use position and agenerally vertical storage/servicing position when attached to thevehicle; and means for selectively permitting and prohibiting movementof the deck from the use position to the storage/servicing position,said means permitting switching between prohibiting movement of the deckfrom the use position to the storage/servicing position to permittingmovement of the deck from the use position to the storage/servicingposition in one step.
 15. The mower of claim 14, wherein the means forselectively permitting and prohibiting movement of the deck from the useposition to the storage/servicing position includes a mowing heightadjustment lever and wherein the step entails moving the mowing heightadjustment lever from an upright position to a collapsed position.
 16. Amower comprising: a vehicle having a front and a rear; a mower deck forselective attachment to the front of the vehicle, wherein the deck isselectively movable between a generally horizontal use position and agenerally vertical storage/servicing position when attached to thevehicle; means for selectively permitting and prohibiting movement ofthe deck from the use position to the storage/servicing position; andmeans for selectively permitting and prohibiting movement of the deckfrom the storage/servicing position to the use position.
 17. The mowerof claim 16, wherein the means for selectively permitting andprohibiting movement of the deck from the storage/servicing position tothe use position automatically locks the deck in the storage/servicingposition and selectively prohibits movement therefrom when the deck israised from the use position to the storage/servicing position.
 18. Themower of claim 17, wherein the deck includes a latch plate and a catchand wherein the latch plate cooperates with the catch when the deck isin the storage/servicing position to selectively prohibit the deck frommoving to the use position.
 19. The mower of claim 18, wherein the latchplate is spaced apart from the catch when the deck is in the useposition and wherein the latch plate is moved into contact with thecatch when the deck is moved from the use position to thestorage/servicing position.
 20. The mower of claim 19, wherein the latchplate is biased to a first position and movable to a second position,wherein the latch plate is in the first position when the deck is inboth the use position and the storage/servicing position, wherein catchmoves the latch plate from the first position to the second position asthe deck is moved from the use position to the storage/servicingposition and wherein the bias moves the latch plate back to the firstposition and into cooperation with the catch when the deck is in thestorage/servicing position.
 21. The mower of claim 20, wherein the usercan selectively move the latch plate from the first position to thesecond position to permit movement of the deck from thestorage/servicing position to the use position.
 22. The mower of claim21, wherein the hitch plate has an aperture therein, wherein the hitchplate has an angled portion that functions as a camming surface topermit the catch to move the hitch plate from the first position to thesecond position as the deck is moved from the use position to thestorage/servicing position, and wherein at least a portion of the catchis received in the aperture in the latch plate when the deck is in thestorage/servicing position.
 23. A mower comprising: a vehicle having afront and a rear; a mower deck for selective attachment to the front ofthe vehicle, wherein the deck is selectively movable between a generallyhorizontal use position and a generally vertical storage/servicingposition when attached to the vehicle; and means for selectivelypermitting and prohibiting movement of the deck from the use position tothe storage/servicing position, wherein the mower deck further includesa wheel for supporting the deck during use and a wheel height adjustmentarm coupled with the wheel to permit a user to adjust a relationshipbetween the wheel and the deck to thereby alter a cutting height of themower, wherein the wheel height adjustment arm automatically alters inlength as the deck is moved between the use position and thestorage/servicing position.
 24. The mower of claim 23, wherein the wheelheight adjustment arm includes a sleeve and a rod, and wherein a portionof the rod is slidably received in the sleeve in telescoping fashion.25. The mower of claim 24, wherein the wheel height adjustment arm has afully extended position, wherein the deck is in the use position whenthe wheel height adjustment arm is in its fully extended position andwherein movement of a portion of the wheel height adjustment armadjacent the vehicle toward the vehicle lowers the wheel and in turnraises the cutting height of the mower when the wheel height adjustmentarm is in its fully extended position.
 26. A mower deck for selectiveattachment to a front of a mowing vehicle, the mower deck comprising: atleast one blade for cutting vegetation; a housing containing the cuttingblade, the housing having a front, a rear, a top and a bottom; a couplerpositioned at the rear of the housing for selectively coupling the deckto the front of the vehicle; and a mowing height adjustment levercoupled with the housing for adjusting the cutting height of the deck,wherein the mowing height adjustment lever is movable between an uprightposition and a collapsed position, wherein the deck is selectivelymovable between a generally horizontal use position and a generallyvertical storage/servicing position when attached to the vehicle via thecoupler, wherein movement of the deck from the use position to thestorage/servicing position is prevented when the mowing heightadjustment lever is in the upright position and wherein movement of thedeck from the use position to the storage/servicing position ispermitted when the mowing height adjustment lever is in a collapsedposition.
 27. The mower deck of claim 26, wherein the deck furtherincludes a first latching member and wherein the first latching membercooperates with the mowing height adjustment lever when the mowingheight adjustment lever is in the upright position to prevent movementof the deck from the use position to the storage/servicing position. 28.The mower deck of claim 27, wherein a portion of the first latchingmember abuts a portion of the mowing height adjustment lever when themowing height adjustment lever is in the upright position, whereinmovement of the mowing height adjustment lever from the upright positionto the collapsed position moves the mowing height adjustment lever outof abutting contact with the first latching member and thereby permitsmovement of the deck from the use position to the storage/servicingposition.
 29. The mower deck of claim 28, wherein the mowing heightadjustment lever is pivotally coupled with the mower deck and includes alever arm, a pivot point and a first abutting portion located generallyradially outward on the lever arm from the pivot point, wherein thefirst latching member includes a second abutting portion, and whereinthe first abutting portion cooperates with the second abutting portionto prevent movement of the deck from the use position to thestorage/servicing position.
 30. The mower deck of claim 26, wherein thedeck further includes a latch plate and a catch and wherein the latchplate cooperates with the catch when the deck is in thestorage/servicing position to selectively prohibit the deck from movingto the use position.
 31. The mower deck of claim 30, wherein the latchplate automatically engages the catch when the deck is moved from theuse position to the storage/servicing position.
 32. A mower having afront mount deck comprising: a vehicle; and a mower deck for selectivecoupling to a front of the vehicle, the deck having a mowing heightadjustment lever, wherein the deck is movable between a generallyhorizontal use position and a generally vertical storage/servicingposition while connected to the vehicle, wherein movement of the deckfrom the use position to the storage/servicing position is preventedwhen the mowing height adjustment lever is in an upright position andwherein movement of the deck from the use position to thestorage/servicing position is permitted when the mowing heightadjustment lever is in an collapsed position.
 33. The mower of claim 32,wherein movement of the deck from use position to the storage/servicingposition is achieved solely through the steps of moving the mowingheight adjustment lever from the upright position to the collapsedposition and lifting on a front of the deck.
 34. (Canceled)
 35. A methodof moving a mower deck of a mowing vehicle between a generallyhorizontal use position and a generally vertical storage/servicingposition, wherein the mower deck includes a mowing height adjustmentlever, the method comprising: moving the mowing height adjustment leverfrom a generally upright use position to a rest position; and lifting ona forward portion of the deck, thereby moving the mower deck from theuse position to the storage/servicing position; wherein moving themowing height adjustment lever from a generally upright use position toa rest position is the only step necessary to permit movement of thedeck from the use position to the storage/servicing position.